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Art

VISUAL ARTS AT DEPTFORD GREEN SCHOOL

Context

Deptford Green School, Visual Arts Department, has facilities for painting and drawing, printmaking, digital photography, textile arts and ceramics. We have three specialist rooms and an exhibition space / workshop. The ‘ARTSPACE’ has a kiln room and professional printing press for specialist techniques. The textiles room has 25 sewing machines for student use and a digital printer for fabric. The department is well equipped and we aim to encourage and facilitate projects that are ambitious, individual and technically accomplished. Students thrive in a vibrant, diverse and inspirational working environment, where their creative energies can be realised. Many visual art students progress and perform beyond expectations.

We aim to maintain a high academic profile both inside and outside the classroom by means of participation in whole school events for parents, students and staff. We reach out to the community, exhibiting in local businesses and public spaces. We hold an annual event using ‘ARTSPACE’, exhibiting an extensive range of outcomes, across key stages, from our student artists and designers.

Classroom Activities and Enrichment

We aim to create a lively and active learning environment that is able to cater for the needs of all students. The displays of student outcomes, the use of resourced based stimuli and an ‘open door policy’ create learning spaces where students are encouraged to experiment and explore themes and ideas. Students are expected to extend their work as much as possible and not settle for the easiest option. Our approach to teaching and learning centres around key skills: Problem solving, reflection and evaluation. We encourage personal responses from students, using their own cultural experiences as a means of expression.

The department would always encourage an individual and personal approach to building a portfolio of work. First-hand experience of subject matter is achieved through observational studies or photography. Ideas are developed further using a combination of media such as pastels, charcoal, crayon, watercolour, collage and other experimental techniques. We have access to computers for students to use basic editing software, if required, and for organising work outcomes.

KS3

At KS3, students study fine art and textiles as an integrated KS3 course. They are encouraged to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. The curriculum structure builds on key ideas, concepts , skills and knowledge to enable progression through understanding and making connections. Students will observe and investigate, explore and create, evaluate and develop. Self-expression and a personal approach is encouraged although a focus on knowledge and skills develops independence in KS4. 

KS4

The visual arts currently offer two endorsed courses: ART AND DESIGN–FINE ART and ART AND DESIGN-TEXTILES. Both courses are visual and creative subjects which allow students to learn about the work of contemporary and historic artist and designers, relating their knowledge to the development of their own skills as artists.

Students will have studied fine art and textile arts as an integrated course at KS3 and would have experienced a wide range of techniques and processes. Most personal interests and skill sets can be explored and developed on this examination course and students will be rewarded for what they know, what they understand and what they can demonstrate.

The courses are designed to cover four areas for the critical, practical and theoretical study of art craft and design. Students are awarded marks for:

  1. Contextual understanding
  2. Creative making
  3. Reflective recording
  4. Personal presentation